Rising star Antoine Olivier Pilon plays ADHD teenager Steve with explosive energy in this impressive account
French-Canadian prodigy Xavier Dolan’s fifth feature (he’s still in his mid-20s) is an occasionally histrionic but heartfelt account of a single mom, Die (Anne Dorval), struggling to deal with her sweet but volatile son, Steve (Antoine Olivier Pilon), whose ADHD wreaks havoc on their suburban life. Excluded from education after setting fire to a cafeteria, Steve requires home schooling, so Die turns to reclusive neighbour Kyla (Suzanne Clément) to revive the teaching skills from which she is “on sabbatical”. Hemmed in by financial pressures, and each differently outcast from society, the misfit trio begin to form an alternative family unit, the potential despair of their individual situations somehow vaporising in the company of their collective hope.
You feel a weight lifting off your chest as Steve forces the frame wide open
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